Restrictions on tobacco advertising recommended by the Oireachtas committee on health and children will be circumvented by the tobacco industry, unless the Government moves swiftly to introduce them, antismoking lobbyists warned yesterday.
The chairman of ASH Ireland, Dr Luke Clancy, supported the report's recommendations but said the Government would have to implement them promptly if the measures were to be effective.
"There is no doubt about it, if you give an industry such as the tobacco industry a long run in to any restrictive legislation they will work to find ways around it," he said. "They have the money and they can find the right people. If there is any delay, I guarantee you the ban will not be effective."
ASH was particularly glad the banning of all print advertising and event sponsorship was recommended. It also supported the recommended tightening of legislation regarding the health warnings on tobacco packaging.
The report urges the Government to seek to amend the 1989 EU directive on tobacco packaging health warnings, in order to make these explicitly focus on the fact that cigarettes are nicotine delivery devices and that nicotine is an addictive drug.
The Irish Tobacco Manufacturers' Advisory Committee, which represents Irish firms, said it would undertake a detailed analysis of the report. The committee had no further comment to make until this review was complete.
The Irish Medical Organisation president, Dr Fenton Howell, praised the Oireachtas committee for the imaginative approach it had adopted in approaching the smoking issue. He identified measures to increase the price of tobacco products and the advertising curbs as key elements.
"If the Government follows through on this report we will be at the beginning of a process which will see the elimination of lung cancer, heart disease and chronic bronchitis, and future parents will have a lot to thank this group for," Dr Howell said.
The chief executive of the Irish Heart Foundation, Mr Paddy Murphy, said the measures to ban smoking in bars and restaurants had his organisation's full support. "Such measures have worked in other countries, and we are sure they would work here," he said.